Only 57% of people were happy with the service - the lowest level since 2011 - while dissatisfaction has risen to 29% - the highest level in a decade.

The survey was conducted by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) and analysed by the Nuffield Trust and the King's Fund think tanks.

A nationally representative sample of 3,004 people in England, Scotland and Wales were asked about their overall satisfaction with the NHS and 1,002 of them were also quizzed about their satisfaction with individual NHS services.

The main reasons for satisfaction and dissatisfaction with the overall service were:

Satisfaction -

quality of care

free at the point of use

attitudes and behaviour of NHS staff

range of services and treatments available

Dissatisfaction -

staff shortages

long waiting times

lack of funding

government reforms

"The public used to put GPs on a pedestal," said Ruth Robertson, fellow at the King's Fund. "But since 2009, when there was an 80% satisfaction rating, it has been steadily declining.

"It shows the impact of the huge pressure on GPs and the public is responding to that."

Prof Helen Stokes-Lampard, chairwoman of the Royal College of GPs, said: "This is extremely distressing news for hard-pressed GPs and their teams who are working flat out to do the very best they can for their patients in increasingly difficult circumstances.

"But while we are very disappointed in these figures, they are hardly surprising as what we are seeing now is symptomatic of the inevitable effects of a decade of underinvestment in our family doctor service - and just not having enough GPs in the system to meet demand.

"Our service is the lifeblood of the NHS - we manage risk and uncertainty as well as considering all aspects of our patients' lives when delivering care.

"Without general practice, other NHS services would crumble, but we urgently need more support, including more GPs, if we are to deliver the safe and effective care that our patients need and have come to rely on."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesman said: "Just last year, the NHS was rated as the best and safest health system in the world by independent experts and, as this report itself points out, the majority of patients are satisfied with the NHS."

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: "This report exposes widespread public dissatisfaction with NHS performance under this government, as years of overstretched budgets take their toll on frontline services."